Orthodontia is that branch of dental medicine which is concerned with correcting abnormally aligned or positioned teeth. Typical orthodontic treatment involves fastening small brackets to the surface of the teeth and connecting these brackets with a wire which can be tightened so as to exert a pulling force on the teeth through the brackets. The pulling force gradually urges the teeth to shift position within the patient's mouth. Brackets have traditionally been placed on the outside surfaces of the teeth, that is, on surfaces which face away from the patient's tongue; these surfaces which are also termed labial surfaces.
Because brackets and orthodontic wires are usually silver-colored appliances, they give the orthodontic patient a look which children have unkindly labeled “metal mouth.” Partly for that reason, alternatives have been sought that would lessen the metal mouth appearance of the patient.
One such alternative has been the placement of the brackets on the inner surfaces of the teeth, that is, those surfaces which face toward the patient's tongue, also called lingual surfaces. This results in the orthodontic appliance being worn on the inside of the teeth, so that the patient's outward appearance is substantially normal. Having the orthodontic apparatus along the inside of the teeth, however, is uncomfortable and some patients never quite become accustomed to this mode of treatment.
A second alternative has been the use of enamel-colored plastic brackets and wire of a color which blends in with the patient's natural tooth enamel. These plastic devices are usually positioned along the outer, labial surfaces of the teeth.
Nevertheless, standard orthodontic treatment has relied on positioning of the brackets along the same set of surfaces on the teeth being treated. That is, the brackets are all positioned along outer surfaces, or are all positioned along inner surfaces of the teeth.
Regardless of positioning of the brackets in these standard approaches, the duration of treatment can be quite lengthy for properly repositioning the patient's teeth. Furthermore, because the brackets are usually glued onto the teeth, brackets sometimes detach from teeth which are being urged to move by pull exerted by the wire on the bracket.